The 2026 Mazda CX-5 has received a five-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) with an average score of 90.25% across all four safety categories. This is a significantly higher score than the second-generation CX-5 (the one currently in our market), which still achieved a five-star rating but with an average of 78%.
The third-generation CX-5 was tested using ANCAP’s 2023-2025 criteria. The four test categories include Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist.
Starting with Adult Occupant Protection, the CX-5 received a rating of 90%, scoring 36.15 points out of 40. The tests saw good results in preventing front-seat occupants from colliding with each other thanks to the center airbag, as well as good side-impact protection. The full-width frontal test also showed adequate protection for both front and rear occupants.
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As for Child Occupant Protection, the compact crossover received a rating of 91% with a perfect score for the front and side dynamic tests, as well as restraint installation. The only sub-category it fell short in was the on-board safety features, with the absence of a child presence detection system.
The front and side dynamic tests used crash-test dummies to replicate a six-year-old and ten-year-old. With ISOFIX car seats properly installed, the tests resulted in good protection for all critical areas of the body from a frontal offset impact and side impact.
Moving on to Vulnerable Road User Protection, the CX-5 got a 93% rating with a score of 58.63 points out of 63. The car’s autonomous emergency braking system performed well and was able to detect and avoid collisions during pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist test scenarios. The tops of the hood and windshield also provided good protection to the head of a struck pedestrian, with marginal and poor results shown when struck by the hood’s front edge or A-pillars.
For the last category, Safety Assist, the CX-5 received a rating of 87% with a score of 15.72 out of 18. Car-to-car autonomous emergency braking was good when tested through junctions, crossings, and head-on collision assessments. The lane-support system also showed good performance through the emergency lane-keeping tests.
Although the CX-5’s driver-monitoring system gives a warning for distraction and fatigue, it fails to provide a warning for an unresponsive driver, as well as intervention for the three scenarios.
Overall, the 2026 Mazda CX-5 scored a total of 155.5 points out of 170. Mazda Philippines has yet to announce the third-generation CX-5’s arrival, but there should be more updates soon once the compact crossover starts arriving in other Southeast Asian countries.
